It Was Always The Dutch

Take a look at this interesting article which unravels the Dutch economic story, while questioning old ideas and gaining a new understanding of how capitalism emerged in our little corner of the world.

We often hear about the Dutch Golden Age and its role in shaping the world we know today. However, new research by Maarten Prak and Jan Luiten van Zanden in their book "Pioneers of Capitalism: The Netherlands 1000-1800" challenges what we thought we knew about the origins of capitalism in the region.

In this article, Joakim Book breaks down the ideas of the new research. Instead of seeing the shift to capitalism as a big, dramatic change, Prak and van Zanden suggest it was more like a peaceful evolution. People, faced with challenges like an agricultural crisis in the 1300s, chose to rely on markets voluntarily. Joakim Book explores how their new research challenges common beliefs about things like feudalism, colonialism, and inequality.

Click here for the full article - The Beginning of the Modern World: It Was Always The Dutch

By Joakim Book